1. The Virtual Team in the NICU: a Social Media Update Workshop on Perinatal Practice Strategies Scottsdale, AZ April 15-17, 2011 CLARA SONG, MD, FAAP The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
2. Disclosure SPEAKER: Clara Song, MD I have no relevant financial relationships with the manufacturers of any commercial products and/or provider of commercial services discussed in this CME activity. I do not intend to discuss an unapproved or investigative use of commercial products or devices.
3. OBJECTIVES Understand the evolution of social media and its impact on healthcare Classify the current available web-based tools in an effort to facilitate collaboration between health professionals Identify and prevent negative consequences associated with social media use
6. Social media has taken over… … porn as the #1 activity on the web. Source: Social Media Revolution from Socialnomics.net
7. Everyday….. … approximately 2 BillionGoogle searches occur. Source: Social Media Revolution by Socialnomics.net
8. Interestingly….. Facebook TOPS Google for weekly traffic in the U.S.! Source: Social Media Revolution 2 from Socialnomics.net
9. In 2010, social media use increased… Baby Boomers (46-65 yr): 54 76% Gen X (32-45 yr): 70 85% Millennials/Gen Y (13-31 yr): 84 91% Source: PR Newswire, Nov 2010; Beyond.com Poll
10. Saying it simply… Many people are on the web… AND on the web to utilize social media tools.
11. “Social media is NOT a fad… “…it’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate.” Source: solcomhouse.com
13. Social Media Social media is a “group of Internet-based applications…that build on the foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange user-generated content.” Social media uses Internet and web-based technologies to transform broadcast media monologues (one to many) into social media dialogues (many to many). It supports the democratization of knowledge and information, transforming people from content consumers into content producers. Concept Media Social interface Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media
14. Blogs Photos Videos Audio Social Networks Event Networks Interest Networks Wikis Microblogs WEB 2.0 Source: blog.milestoneinternet.com
15. Social Media is about…. Reaching out and having a conversation. Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
19. 3rd most prevalent activity Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project Feb 2011 report Survey of 3,001 American adults 8 in 10 Internet users search for health information ONLINE 59% of ALL Americans adults (25% Americans non-Internet users) Source: pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/HealthTopics.aspx
20. Social Media for Health Information 94% use Facebook 32% use YouTube 18% use MySpace or Twitter Average age: 41 yr Average income: >$75K National Research Corporation Survey 23,000 Americans 41% use social media Source: CNN Health, thechart.blogs..cnn.com,3/4/2011
21. We are e-Patients “equipped, electronic, enabled, educated, empowered, engaged, equals, emancipated…… expert??” Seek online guidance for their own conditions or for their loved ones 2 effects “better health information and services and different (but not always better) relationships with their doctors” Source: http://enwikipedia.org/wiki/E-Patient
22. SmartBlogon Social Media November, 12, 2010: Patients and their families benefit from the community support by connecting through social media before, during and after a hospital stay Source: sbne.ws/r/68Vj
23. We are e-Doctors 99% of U.S. physicians are online 85% of offices have broadband 83% consider the Internet essential to their practice 91% use Google for medical and pharmaceutical queries The web and Blackberrys are replacing textbooks, drug references and conferences. ….“e-Doctor”… all the “e’s” and then some (empathetic, eloquent, encouraging,…..expert” Source: pharma2blog.com/2008/07/03/taking-the-pulse of-the-physician
24. Hospitals in the United States 2009 Source: Found In Cache, Social Media resources for healthcare professionals from Ed Bennett.
25. Hospitals in the United States 2011 Source: Found In Cache, Social Media resources for healthcare professionals from Ed Bennett.
26. Facebook: 535,391 followers + 19 other Facebook pages YouTube: 238,325 views + 6 other YouTube channels Twitter: 5,290 followers + 13 other Twitter pages 6 Blogs
27. University of California, San Francisco Medical Center used Twitter, Facebook and Farmville to find new donors and raise $1 million for the new children’s hospital. Source: Modern Healthcare, March 14, 2011
28. HealthCare.gov “Take healthcare into your own hands…. Your healthcare explained.” A federal government website managed by the US Department of Health & Human Services “Stay Connected” email updates, twitter, Facebook, YouTube, RSS
29. Electronic Health Record (EHR) Initiated and maintained by an institution In an ideal world, an national EHR= PHR (Personal Health Record)
30. PHR Use Motivates Consumers 1 in 14 uses a PHR 56% learned more about their health 32% took specific action to improve their health 60% of low income & 40% of chronically ill felt more connected to their physician 40% asked a question they otherwise wouldn’t have 58% would use PHR from PMD, 50% from insurer, 25% from private tech company Increased interest in PHR use if their physician uses EHR (50% vs 41%) 68% concerned about privacy Source: www.chcf.org/media
31. Personal Health Records (PHR) Google Health Microsoft Health Vault My Doclopedia PHR MediCompass Medic Alert Medsfile.com WebMD Images: microsoftfeed.com, doclopedia.com, medfiles.eu, medicalert.co.za
32. Health 2.0 Information: resources and sharing Medical education Collaboration and practice Disease management Research & data sharing Professional Development & Networking Source: health20.org/wiki/ Health_2.0_Definition
33. What is your initial reaction when you hear “social media tools”? 1. 3. 2. 4.
34. How do you currently save your references and articles? Print and file Drag and drop onto a USB drive Save and file into folders in Documents onto My Computer Bookmark reference onto a web account
37. There are over 300ways to bookmark and share information! Source: Social Media Revolution from Socialnomics.net
38. Diigo CiteULike Connotea Reddit Technorati Google Chrome: AddThis SlashDot StumbleUpon Digg Social Bookmarking and News Aggregates Source: doublejdesign.co.uk
39. Social bookmarking steps Choose a site Register Add button (optional, but recommended) Find references (websites, articles, etc.) “Add to …” with one-click Add “tags” Socialize and share
40. Knol= a unit of knowledge, “an authoritative article about a specific topic” Google’s version of the online encyclopedia… but the authors provide credentials and elicit peer review “Share what you know and write a knol.”
41. How do you feel about your Reader? I love my Reader- we are in constant contact. We are casually dating- I visit my Reader when I have time. Thanks for reminding me! Better visit my Reader before it bursts. Who’s/What’s a Reader?
42. RSS is “a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works- such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video- in a standardized format.” RSS feeds “benefit readers who want to subscribe to timely updates from favored websites or to aggregate feeds from many sites into one place.” RSS= “Really Simple Syndication” Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rss
43. READER Google Reader NewsGator My Yahoo! FeedDemon NetNewsWire Source: rssboard.org
44. RSS Feeds Sign up for your RSS feed Reader of choice (Google, my Yahoo!, Shrook, etc.). Connect our websites to your Reader by finding icons (RSS). “Subscribe now” or copy URL to add subscriptions/feed onto your Reader. Watch out because here they’ll come!!
45. Trends, Tags, and Alerts in Medicine Google Alerts (Google Scholar) PubMedSave Search function PubMed Reader PeRSSonalized Medicine from Webicinia.com BioWizard AllTop WatchThatPage DailyMe TweepBeep
46. Have you participated in any of the following online activities? Social networking (Facebook) Interest-based networking (Ping, Foursquare) Blogging or MicroBlogging (Twitter) I don’t know what you’re talking about- that’s why I’m here.
51. Facebook More than 550 million active users 50% of active users are logged on in any given day Fastest growing demographic is age 35 and older; second is 55-65 year olds (Fastest growing segment is 55-65 year old females) Median user age: 33 Average user has 130 friends, creates 90 pieces of content/month Worldwide, more than 8 billion minutes a day spent on Facebook, yielding over 60 million status updates each day Most popular site to share photos(comScore 2009) More than 100 million photos uploaded each day 3rd most popular site to view online video (Nielson VideoCensus, Nov 2009) Source: www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics
52. FACEBOOK Fun, casual Meet old friends, make new friends Join interest groups, communities Learn Share stories Make professional connections It’s a party! Source: facebook.com
53. But, not this kind of party… Source: glamourvanity.com
63. LinkedIn Global network with over 85 million experienced professional in 150 industries in over 200 countries Average age is 41 years Over 50% users have income >$100,000 Over-representation of those who attended graduate school, compared to all internet users 64% male 34% own a Smartphone/PDA 95% of companies use LinkedIn as their primary tool to find new employees (80% of companies use social media for recruitment) Searchable by Google Source: www.linkedstrategies.com/blog/tag/linkedin-statistics
65. Twitter Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing? “Share and discover what’s happening right now, anywhere in the world.” Source: twitter.com
66. Twitter unique visitors increased by 1,382% in a year 475,000 in Feb 2008 7 million in Feb 2009 As of Feb 2010, largest Twitter group 35-44 year olds, 64% aged 35 or older, & the median user age: 39 Twitter.com primarily visited from work 62% assess from work only 35% assess from home only As of January 2011, 175 million registered users 55 millions tweets a day 600 million search queries a day via Twitter’s search engine 37% of active users are mobile Source: http://blog.nielson.com/nielsonwire/online_mobile/twitters-tweet-smell-of-success/, denverpost.com/business/
67. Coffee Talk Tweets are short and sweet….. Casual conversation, like at the water cooler or coffee house No one stays too long or says too much If you don’t stop by, you’ll miss it Image Source: nydailynews.com
68. Top Twitter Topics of 2010 Gulf Oil Spill FIFA World Cup Inception Haiti Vuvuzela Source: visualnews.com Twitter's Top 10 Trending Topics for 2010
69. Top Twitter Topics of 2011 Rebecca Black Full Moon H1N1 UK Comic Relief Knut Source: www.mashable.com
70. HEALTHCARE on TWITTER Healthcare professionals AAP, Healthy Children, AAP News, PediaLink, AAP NCE AMA MDchat RNchat NICUchat Harvard Med, Harvard Health, HarvardNeo HealthSocMed HHS gov, AIDS gov, NIH Library Red Cross CDC, NIH
71. 140 HEALTHCARE USES FOR TWITTER Tissue recruitment Epidemiological survey Disaster alerting and response Supportive care for patients and family members Diabetes management Alarming silent codes (security incidents) Augmenting telemedicine Amber alerts BY PHIL BAUMANN, “Health is Social”
72. The Healthcare Hashtag Project ……to make the use of Twitter more accessible for providers and the healthcare community as a whole. By lowering the learning curve of Twitter with a database of relevant hashtags to follow, we hope to help new and existing users alike to find the conversations that are of interest and importance ….. Source: odomlewis.posterous.com
74. Does your institution have policy on employees’ use of social media? Yes, absolutely. Yes, kind of, an unwritten expectation. No, not really.
75. Friday, April 2,2010: Columbia University and MixedInk in New York identified 52,000 Tweets mentioning antibiotics during a 4 ½ month period in 2009. Approximately 700 of those tweets included incorrect information. Twitter is not always reliable Source: www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=637674
76. Twitter 101 What I’m doing… I’m thinking… Share information Join the conversation! (@songMD______) “Let others find me by email address” Tweet Location Tweet Media setting Twitter Privacy setting
77. Twitter AP Share images/photos via Twitpic, Yfrog, GDZILA Share music via Tinysong Share videos via Twitvid Find information (#hashtag, www.search.twitter.com, www.foxepractice.com/healthcare-hashtags) Update your all your social networks (ping.fm) Update all your social networks with media (pikchur) What’s going on in Twitter in a particular area (Twitte Local) TweetDeck for your desktop to organize and streamline
78. AAP in Social Media Website Twitter AAPperinatal Facebook groups AAP Perinatal AAP Perinatal Trainees Facebook page AAP Perinatal LinkedIn Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Section on Perinatal Pediatrics
79. “Be who you are and say what you feel …..... because those who matter don’t mind and those who mind don’t matter.” Dr. Seuss
80. Potential Risks Social networking is online= Public domain, no longer private Posting online is permanent; can be deleted, but may be archived Professional liability risks (violations of medical code of ethics, HIPAA, employer or medical staff policy) Anonymity cannot by guaranteed; privacy can be violated Source: Armon, Keller. Who is Dr. Wiki and Why You Need to Know. Unique Opportun. 2009.
82. Minimize Risks Use common sense. “The least common thing in the world is common sense.” – overheard from Istvan Seri Review the terms of service of the online communities. Review your professional liability policy. Review your employment agreement. Be aware that you may not remain anonymous. Include a disclaimer. Review before you post. (Think, pause, then post.) Source: Armon, Keller. Who is Dr. Wiki and Why You Need to Know. Unique Opportun. 2009.
83. Social Do’s and Don’t DO: Identify yourself with yourself employer if appropriate, but emphasize that you do not represent your employer’s views Engage in discussion with your peers and colleagues Think, pause, then post. DON’T: Use for personal reasons during work time Post personal identifiable OR protected health information Use or post profane, defamatory, illegal language or material
84. How comfortable do you feel participating in social networks with families of patients? 1. 3. 2. 4.
85. To Friend or Not to Friend “Please Don’t ‘Friend’ Your Patients” Violation of HIPAA by jeopardizing the protection of individually identifiable health information (IIHI) Source: MDNews.com, 3/19/2011
86. Ignore….. 84% would NOT use social media to communicate with their physician 72% would call nurse help line ~50% prefer email communication with physician, online appointment setting, online access to medical records , online bill payment Source: HealthcareITnews.com, 3/24/2011
87. AMA Policy: Professionalism in the Use of Social Media Standards of patient privacy and confidentiality Privacy settings Appropriate boundaries of patient-physician relationship Professional boundaries Ethical responsibility to report unprofessionalism Possibility of negative consequences
88. Use web tools with confidence to streamline Effective communication More “expert-generated” content alongside user –generated content Ethical considerations? Why bother???
89. “Social media is like voting… You may not like the system, but unless you vote, you don’t have a right to complain about the outcome.”
established in 1862, hasn’t changed much since then, might even have the same cash register.
Multiple FB fan pages
As of 2009, the overall #1 activity on the web….
…. This indicates that people are searching for information. With social media applications, they are now sharing information more efficiently and effectively.
Facebook has become the #1 most popular site on the internet. So, people are also on the web trying to connect with each other as well as search for information. FB is avenue where we can find and share information quickly, then communicate our thought all on one platform. Facebook is quickly becoming the new search engine on the block….
Baby boomer 1946-64Gen X 1965-83Gen Y 1984-2002
Many people are on the internet and- basically, they are on Facebook!
Social media is not a fad… it’s here to stay…. Like rock & roll- it’s not going anywhere, and likely to keep evolving. We don’t necessarily have to like it, but we may as well know what it’s all about.
So, how did we get to this point?? Web 1.0 is a term to define the internet as we understood it as its inception, which became commonplace in the 90’s. The internet at that time was used primarily for email and as a source of information. Web 1.0 users visited internet site and extracted information as if it were a digital library. Webmasters generated the information, and users viewed the information as they needed. Web 2.0, the internet as it has evolved this past decade, is no longer only a source of content for passive viewing, but has become an interactive, dynamic arena for idea and information exchange. Now this exchange of ideas occurs, in many applications, in real-time.
Social media is a “group of Internet-based applications…that build on the foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange user-generated content.” One of the most important concept of social media is “democratization” of ideas, which means that it allows its participants to become producers of information as well as users. What makes social media “social” is the interaction of all its participants
Social media encompasses many different Internet-based applications, allowing for the creation and exchange user-generated content. Ultimately, at the center of it all- these create relationships and conversations between users.
Social media is about reaching out and having a conversation…. enabling people from various backgrounds on a global level, to find a common ground so that we can COMMUNICATE.
Social Media can impact our daily lives in seemingly insignificant as well as profound ways- Iran political rallies, Egypt inside stories, Oklahoma Senator tweets State of the Union AddressInitially started last year with the seed $ that should have bought Super bowl commercial time. Great idea to make a positive impact on the world- promote it and get people to vote for it!$5-50K grants– millions $$$ every month in grants (few TV ads primarily social media driven campaign)87 million votes- that is more than the last non-presidential federal election in 2006., which had the best voter turn out. The only thing that more Americans will come together to vote for (other than the Pepsi Refresh ideas) is the President.Coke Donations to Boys and Girls Clubs of America each time a visitor to Coca-Cola Fan page on Facebook shares a virtual Coke gift.
I’d like to talk now about the concept of Health 2.0- which is the use of Web 2.0 tools byclinicians, administrators, researchers as well as patients and their familiesin order to collaborate and personalize healthcare, and promote health education…..The idea is to utilize these tools to strengthen the relationships and communication between communities in the healthcare system and within those communities. (clinicians, researchers, administrators, patients)
A report issued on February 1, 2011 of 3001 American Adults stated that 8 in 10 internet users search online for health information…. Making this activity the 3rd most prevalent activity among American web users. (1. Exchanging email 2. Utilizing search engines 3.Seeking health information)
In March 2011- Survey of 23,000 Americans revealed that social media sites have become very popular for searching for heath information- with Facebook the clear winner. 1 in 4 responded that what they learned on these sites was “very likely” OR “likely” to impact their future health decisionsMost responded that they also consulted with a physician This addressed a recurring concern that patients are using the internet to self-diagnose and self-medicate w/o reference to health professionals. This survey emphasizes the desire of patients for connection to others as well as information, which is what social media provides.
Not only do e-patients find health information online, they also find community support. Families are updated via real-times twitter feeds,… or relieved of the duty of retelling the same updates to loved ones by writing it once on a blog… and receive support by reading a constant flow of encouraging messages alongside a real-time diary of their experience.
I’d like to argue that… We- as neonatologists- may not have the strongest web-presence, but are still for the vast majority e-doctors, whether, we want to admit or not. The e-doctor- all the “e’s” plus empathetic…e-providers, e-nurses, e-social workers, e-case mangers.
Hospitals across the country have responded by employing web tools to communicate with the public. As of Nov 2009, 441 hospitals in the US use some form of social media.
As of January 23, 2011. AND, at least, 439 LinkedIn accounts. 106 blogs. For at total of 3,087 hospital social networking sites. Over 50% increase in use of twitter accounts and YouTube and social media overall. Highest increase in FB use- 65% increase in Hospital FB pages. In about a year’s time. Also, interestingly, hospitals getting into foursquare- 693.
Even the government has embraced social media. Federal website that helps consumers and patients navigate through the vast landscape of today’s health insurance. There is information on over 200 insurers and on over 4400 plans. “How many of you here know about this website? How many of you know about Facebook?” This is one of the many reasons why non-profits are jumping on the Facebook ban-wagon because so many people are already on it. So, it makes it that much easier to reach people. And it’s relatively inexpensive- if not completely free. This website- and FB page is not so much user-generated content, but it does allow users to post comments and engage in conversations among other users and limited/indirect conversation with the organization. This is another step in the direction of experts creating a presence on the web within their field of expertise among all the user-generated content.
Jan 2010 California HealthCare Foundation surveyed 1,849 American adults PHR use more than doubled from 2009 Many of those surveyed expressed concern that their health information could be used by employers, health insurance plans, or others, and one-third said they would consider hiding some information from their provider because of that fear. Still, two-thirds of those surveyed said privacy concerns should not stand in the way of learning how technology can help improve health care with EHR.
Currently, online PHR, as is virtually most web content, are user-generated, meaning generated by the patient, then posted online on secure sites. These PHR can accessed at anytime by any physician with web access after user consent; so, it’s usefulness is obvious. Like many other e-patient sites, most of these allow users to share health information after consent and also serve as online communities where they find basic medical information, and can communicate with other patients. Since at least 83% of Americans are alreadysearching online for health information, this seems like idea that many Americans will soon adopt. In the UK, a universal PHR is currently under construction. One roadblock they are facing, however, is that it is not compatible with the system in France, their very close neighbor. Medicompass- invitation by physician or sponsoring healthcare organization
Back to concept of Health 2.0, also referred to as Medicine 2.0, emphasizes collaboration, participation, and openness. I’d like to introduce the idea of utilizing web tools to strengthen the relationships and communication within the health professional community. The rest of thetalk will focus on this.Finding healthcare, locating physicians, receiving online care, keeping personal health records, electronic charting, support groups
Almost double the # of ways to bookmark and share info in past year (175 ways last year)
Bookmarking sites to create a digital library of all your articles (journals, websites, blogs)- to replace the “drag and drop onto USB” or “save file into documents” that locks down one library to one computer or drive. Social bookmarked libraries can be shared with others, and searched by others.
Google’s answer to this concern for more expert online materials…Knol. A PhD thesis can be found.The majority of Knol’s tend to be topics on healthcare and medical conditions.
Busy lives, busy people… trying to search for information takes time- how can we make this system work for us. One way is by utilizing a useful application called RSS feeds. Blockbuster vs Netflix
Going to Blockbuster vs NetflixSign up for Reader (Google Reader, Bloglines, Newsgator, my Yahoo!)Connect your websites to your Reader by finding icons (RSS)“Subscribe now” or copy URL to add subscriptions/feed onto your Reader.
Google Alerts- email updates of the latest Google results based your search terms/topics- you decide what on the web to monitor (everything blogs, news, video, discussions, etc), how often, how much (only the best, or all results) and which email to send it to or can feed into your Reader.
QUESTION to Group. Categories: Social/general, location-specific, interest-based, experienced-based, activity-based, news-related…….
Dec 15, 2010- Mark Zuckerberg was named TIME magazine’s Person of the Year for his creation of a social network that brings together one out of every dozen people on the planet and 75 languages. Membership is currently growing at a rate of about 700,00 people a day.Started February 2004 as a 19 year old sophomore at Harvard.
Last year it was- 1. China 2. India 3. USA 4. FacebookNow, it’s- 1. China 2. India 3. Facebook
Let’s talk about Facebook since it is currently the most popular social networking site. Average # of friends on FB usually makes people realize how many people they know, or realize how many people they can meet45 million status updates last year (2009-2010) 60 million status updates each day this year
Neonatology Page- definition from Wikipedia. Neonatology group (open/ public)- over 400 members. Neonatology Review (formerly NeoReviews, open/public)- over 1000 members.
Platform applications and websites is ON= your information is accessible through your friends’ applications and websites you can opt-out and turn off all app-to-user communication (i.e. application requests..)Instant Personalization, any public info on FB can be accessed by the website that was connected via FB to “personalize” your experience
Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members. Like going to a high-powered lunch business meeting Public profile- can be turned OFF, but needs to be done manually
Meeting of the minds.. With iPhones and Blackberrys. New and growing… over 50 members
Founded in 2006. Twitter has created the real time search engine concept. The numbers reflect that people on a global level are obviously taking advantage of this free tool.
Like going to the water cooler work or stopping by local coffee house- if you are away too long, you’ll miss the conversation. It’s also given people their own personal soapbox- you can listen or not…
What are people talking about now? “Trends” on the right hand of your Twitter feed…Libya, Egypt, DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act),
What are people talking about now? “Trends” on the right hand of your Twitter feed….Also… Elizabeth Taylor, Libyan Conflict
#hcsmca- healthcare social media canada
On we.follow.com (directory of Twitter user accounts)- a least 8017 users tagged under the subject of “health”
25 votes TOTAL
1.3% or approximately 1 in 80 tweets with incorrect information.
Posterous used to email media/docs to your Workpress.org/.com blog so that your shared media has more longevity on your blog/site and will have more personal branding.Plkchur- update multiple sites with photos and videos
I recently saw this quote related to social media….. Though true, it gives the impression that we can approach social media without a care in the world …. Instead, I would like to ask to …. As with everything, “Approach with, not with fear, but with caution.”
The notion of transparency has become very popular and brings the image of removing the veil of mystery of secrecy, especially when it comes to big business, the government, and fields of expertise (like medicine), and this often discourages many from engaging in social media due to fear of the possibility of negative feedback. I’d rather like to encourage any feedback to be embraced since this will ultimately open the lines the communication and, eventually, allow for active conversation and productivity
However, we can be prepared to minimize the damage…. First and foremost, the most important thing is to use common sense. I like to think that, essentially, the virtual world onthe web respected as the real world- the same rules apply…. So, as you would act in the this world, you would act in the virtual world.
Again Virtual World= respect it like the real World
There is often the question of whether it is appropriate for health professionals to “friend” patients and families. The general consensus of “friending”= initiating or accepting formal social, virtual connections may have the potential to violate HIPAA. I emphasize, treat the Virtual world like the real world.
Well, the good news is….our patients don’t want to “friend” us anyway…. So this really isn’t an issue.Capstrat-Public Policy Polling survey, Feb 2011, 843 Americans:
So even if our patients don’t want to be our Facebook friends, it still might be nice to agree on how we should maintain ourselves on the web. So, the AMA has released an official Policy regarding Professionalism in the Use of Social Media. Essentially, again, asking us to respect the virtual world on the web as we would the real world- the same rules apply….It reminds us to maintain patient confidentiality in all environments. Privacy settings are not absolute or permanent- so monitor all information and postings routinely. Keep professional boundaries with patients and other professionals. Consider separating personal and professional content online as you would in other areas of life. Don’t ignore inappropriate behavior of colleagues. Remember that every action has a reaction- can be good or bad. So, it is best, again, to review, think, pause, before you post.
In conclusion, I would like to give you my 2 cents on why we should even bother investing anytime on learning all this. I think it would be fantastic if we were familiar with what is available to us on the web and use it with confidence, so that it can help streamline our lives and the information available on the web. It has become an the most current, effective way of communication and information-sharing. I would like to see more expert-generated content alongside user-generated content.I wonder if we as a medical community actually have an ethical responsibility to create more of a voice and presence in this ocean of chatter that clearly desires knowledge ??? should we as the experts managing the messages to the public? Since someone else is already there, so why not us?…….
